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With the recent announcement that it will begin paying Kindle Unlimited authors by pages read, rather than borrows, Amazon has set off a spate of commentary, from Fortune to a satirical jab by the Telegraph . According to the  Guardian , self-published authors may see a drop in KU revenue to as little as $.006 per page read, prompting some speculation as to whether Amazon intended to cut back on short works by this maneuver. Nobody has ever paid authors by the number of pages read. Authors have been paid by pages written, especially when their works are serialized, and they have been paid by the word. But the idea of paying an author for the number of pages a reader actually reads is unprecedented. There is no comparison to be made in the history of authorship. (Not even pricing books by how much they weigh, or by how large they are.) The confusion Amazon has generated is apparent in the Authors Guild statement below. In it, the Guild raises a number of questions, largely having t...

Here are 24 fabulous conferences scheduled for the month of July. Even if you don't plan to attend any this month, take a look at some of the websites. Just reading the roster of authors, agents, and industry professionals who attend these gatherings is exciting! In addition to the national and regional events, there are also a number of smaller venues offering an intimate day or two of workshops and readings. In all cases, writing conferences are memorable, instructive, and inspiring events. I encourage every writer to attend one. ____________________________ Omega Institute Poetry Festival . July 5 - 10, Rhinebeck, New York. Readings and workshops led by poets Nick Flynn, Marie Howe, Li-Young Lee, Alison Luterman, and Aja Monet. Idyllwild Arts Summer Program Writers Week . July 6 - 11, Idyllwild, California. Workshops, craft talks, readings, and one-on-one consultations in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Faculty includes poets Natalie Diaz, Luis J. Rodriguez, and Ed Sko...

July is a busy month for writing contests. The 25 free contests featured this month include every genre, and prizes span the gamut - from publication to 6-digit awards. ____________________ John Glassco Translation Prize . Sponsored by Literary Translators' Association of Canada. Restrictions : Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents only.  Genre : The work submitted must be the translator's first published book-length translation into English or French. The book must have been published between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015.  Prize : $1000.  Deadline : July 1, 2015. Kate Tufts Discovery Award . Sponsored by Claremont Graduate University.  Restrictions : Poets must be citizens or legal resident aliens of the United States.  Genre : Poetry. Book must be author's first full-length book of poetry, published between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015. Self-published books are accepted.  Prize : $10,000.  Deadline : July 1, 2015. K...

Updated 6/9/19 Here are two new agents looking to build their client lists. Mary South (Lowenstein Associates) is seeking literary fiction, and in nonfiction: neuroscience, bioengineering, women's rights, design, and digital humanities, as well as investigative journalism, essays, and memoir. Saba Sulaiman (Talcott Notch Literary) is seeking literary and commercial fiction, romance (all subgenres except paranormal), psychological thrillers, cozy mysteries, and memoir. In young adult, she seeks contemporary realistic stories. She also is looking for middle grade fiction. In nonfiction, she accepts humor books. ALWAYS check the agency website before submitting. Agents may switch agencies or close their lists and submission requirements may change. If these agents do not suit your needs, you can find a comprehensive list of new and established agents seeking clients here:  Agents Seeking Clients . ____________________ Mary South of  Lowenstein Associates CLOSED TO...

Anthologies are themed collections of short stories and/or poems by various authors and published as a single book. It is a good idea to get your work into a print anthology for several reasons: 1) Anthologies generally get a wider distribution than magazines; 2) Print anthologies don't preclude publishing your story online, or on Amazon, later on;  3) Establishing a relationship with a publisher may pan out later when you are ready to publish your novel; 4) Anthologies are a great writing credit; 5) Many anthologies accept reprints, which will extend the life of your stories. Please read the submissions pages carefully. All of these are paying markets. _____________________________________________________ Living with Fibromyalgia (Fibrostrong) Genre: Nonfiction Deadline: June 15, 2015 Reprints: Not specified Simultaneous submissions: Not specified Payment: $25 Length: 2,000 max "Each story should about one single event or a couple of closely related events. The premise behind...

These nine publications are currently open to submissions in speculative fiction, horror, poetry, general fiction, and nonfiction. All are paying markets. Before you submit, take a tour of their websites to see if your work will be a good fit. _____________________ Inaccurate Realities Deadline : June 15, 2015 Payment : $15-$25 Reprints : Yes Simultaneous submissions : Yes Looking for : Diverse young adult stories for the theme "Hate" – science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, horror, dystopian, steampunk, cyberpunk, alternate history etc. Take the theme and do something unique and unexpected with it. ____________________ Black Treacle Deadline : June 23, 2015 Payment : $50 CAD Reprints : No Simultaneous submissions : Yes Looking for : Original short stories in the genres of Horror, Dark Fantasy, and Speculative fiction. ____________________ Allegory Deadline : June 30, 2015 Payment : $15 Reprints : Yes Simultaneous submissions : Yes Looking for : Science Fiction, Fantasy and ...

Whether you are submitting your book to an agent or directly to a publisher, a synopsis is an essential part of your submission packet. Nobody likes writing synopses, in part because there is a natural desire on the part of writers to resist stripping their works of art down to the bare bones of plot points. Writing a synopsis is also not particularly fun. If your strong suit is snappy dialogue or lyrical descriptions, you will be forced to leave all your little darlings behind. The truth is you don't have to sacrifice creativity to write a synopsis. You can include descriptive adjectives and power verbs (avoid all forms of the verb "to be" and "to have" whenever possible). You can also include short dialogue if it is relevant to the plot. How long is a synopsis? Back in the day, synopses used to be quite long, roughly one page per every 25 pages of manuscript. (A 200-page book would have a synopsis of  8 pages.) But agents and editors are increasingly pressed f...

Updated 5/23/20 Here are two new agents looking to build their client lists. Moe Ferrara (BookEnds) is seeking science fiction, fantasy, and romance. Amanda Rutter (Azantian) is seeking fantasy, science fiction, and YA contemporary. ALWAYS check the agency website before submitting. Agents may switch agencies or close their lists and submission requirements may change. If these agents do not suit your needs, you can find a comprehensive list of new and established agents seeking clients here:  Agents Seeking Clients . ____________________ Moe Ferrara of  BookEnds Literary Agency CLOSED TO QUERIES About Moe : "Becoming a literary agent was fitting for the girl who, as a small child, begged her dad to buy her a book simply because "it has a hard cover." Growing up, she had a hard time finding YA books outside of Christopher Pike and R. L. Stine, and instead tackled Tom Clancy or her mom's romance novels. Though her career path zigzagged a bit—she attended col...

1. NEWvember New Plays Festival Deadline: June 15th website: http://newvemberfestival.com Inaugurated in 2011 as a co-production of Tangent Theatre Tivoli and AboutFACE Ireland, NEWvember is a festival of rehearsed readings of new plays that takes place over four days at the Carpenter Shop Theatre in the historic village of Tivoli in upstate New York. CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSIONS -submitted plays should be previously unproduced (we will consider plays that have had readings before but are still in development) -plays should not have previously been submitted to the NEWvember Festival -plays should have a cast size of 2-8 -plays should have a running time of 30 to 120 minutes -we will only accept one submission per writer -we ask that the writers of the chosen plays attend the reading of their play towards its further development and to be present for a post-reading Q&A with the audience. We will provide $50 towards travel for those traveling more than 50 miles (the equivalent of a retu...